SVS & SVSF Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
The SVS and SVS Foundation join together to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from Sept. 15-Oct. 15. The SVS and SVSF have created the Voices of Vascular Series to aid in the expansion of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives throughout each entity. Visit this webpage throughout the months of September and October to explore profiles of various SVS members with Hispanic heritage.
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HHM Member Feature
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, the SVS Foundation's Voices of Vascular Program celebrates vascular surgeons' accomplishments and cultural contributions. SVS proudly welcomes its Colombian Chapter, Asovascular, into the organization with this feature profile.
2024 Profiles
Heron E. Rodriguez, MD
Heron E. Rodriguez, MD, is a passionate educator, advocate and leader within the Hispanic community. His journey from a small rural town in Mexico to becoming a prominent vascular surgeon in Chicago is one of dedication, resilience and an unyielding commitment to serving his patients.
Carlos Pineda, MD
Carlos E. Pineda, MD, a board-certified vascular surgeon practicing in Seattle, Washington, reflects on his path from Guatemala to the U.S., the role of cultural identity in his practice and the importance of promoting equality in vascular surgery during this Hispanic Heritage Month.
Lyssa Ochoa, MD
Raised in the southern border town of Mission, Texas, by two educators who instilled in her a deep sense of service and community, Lyssa Ochoa, MD, has built a career that intertwines her cultural roots with her commitment to underserved communities.
2023 Profiles
Carlo Angello Sánchez Montaño, MD
Carlo Angello Sánchez Montaño, MD, traces his passion for medicine back to his childhood when he would accompany his mother, a surgical nurse, to her workplace. His family encouraged his pursuit of a medical degree...
Francisco Vega, MD
A parent's immeasurable love for their child often fuels a desire for a better life, particularly within immigrant families. This sentiment rings true for many, including first-generation Mexican American Francisco Vega, MD.
Omaida Caridad Velázquez, MD
Omaida C. Velázquez’s, MD, beginnings were first and foremost, as a young visionary who escaped from communist Cuba and was idealistically passionate about medicine. She migrated to the United States in 1980 at age 13 and navigated public high school in Union City, New Jersey...
Lorena de Marco Garcia, MD
Lorena De Marco, MD, honors her Argentinian culture in every facet of her life. While at home, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, bonding over food and music...
Hispanic Heritage Month Health Facts
Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, visit this page to view facts regarding vascular health for the Hispanic/ Latinx population.
Cuban Americans have the highest rates of peripheral arterial disease in diverse Hispanic/Latino communities:
Compared with Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans have a threefold higher odds for the presence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) independent of educational attainment, immigrant generation, and traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.
2022 Heart Disease & Stroke Statistical Update Fact Sheet Hispanic/Latino Race & Cardiovascular Diseases*:
Among U.S. Hispanic adults 20 years of age and older from 2015 to 2018, 52.3% of males and 42.7% of females had cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Hispanics and African Americans Receive Lower Extremity Endovascular Interventions in the Late Stages of Peripheral Artery Disease With Higher Risks of Amputation:
Racial minorities received the endovascular surgical care in the late stages of the peripheral artery disease and overall had higher risks of undergoing an amputation in postoperative 30 days as compared with the non-hispanic whites (NHW) population.
Cardiovascular Disease in Hispanics/Latinos in the United States:
Data from the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (NHIS) showed that in 2012, only 15.7% of Hispanics adults age ≥18 years met the national guidelines for physical activity and Hispanic adults (39.8%) were more likely to be physically inactive that NHW adults (26.2%).
Reporting and representation of ethnic minorities in cardiovascular trials: A systematic review
22% of Hispanic and Latinx men and women are likely to develop PAD.
Yale researchers call for strategies to eliminate inequities in access to peripheral artery disease care among adults who share a Hispanic background:
Using a national database, a Yale research team identified 1,018,220 PAD hospitalizations. Between 2011-2017, they discovered that compared with non-Hispanic patients, Hispanics adults with severe PAD had longer hospitalizations. These patients were more often admitted through the emergency department and received less revascularization procedures and underwent more amputations.